This page lists the abstracts for the conference's keynote address, four
plenary lectures, and 16 research talks given by undergraduate participants,
as well as the titles of the 29 undergraduate research posters that will be
displayed on Saturday, January 17th.

Gravitational waves are "ripples in space time" produced by violent
astrophysical events such as core-collapse supernova and collisions of
neutron stars and black holes, as well as by other continuous phenomena as
rotating stars and the early Universe. These waves have never been directly
detected on Earth yet, but a network of ground-based interferometric
detectors including the LIGO detectors in the US is expected to do this very
soon. These detectors have operated with record sensitivity in the recent
past, and are now being upgraded to begin operating with good prospects of
observations in a few years. I will present a brief introduction to the
nature and detection of gravitational waves, and present the current status
of the international network of detectors.

Plenary
lectures

Dr. Suzanne White Brahmia (Rutgers, the
State University of New Jersey):
"From Papergirl to Physicist — The Road Less
Traveled"

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
- Robert Frost

My professional journey started as an entrepreneurial paper deliverer in
Washington State, and has led me to the equatorial forest of Africa, to the
Ivy League, to being a teacher of everything from walking to tying shoes to
soccer to kinetic theory. Adventure, creativity, humanity, and achievement
are the essential ingredients of me that play off of each other and continue
to unleash my potential. This talk is less of a story of my life, and more a
reflection on important and often unconventional decisions and how they played
out for me ten and twenty years down the road, for better and for worse. I
will share my process of uncovering my passion and building a professional
path through relatively uncharted territory that has left me with no regrets
and a continued zeal for everything I do.

The galaxies that we see in our Universe are surrounded by much more massive
and extended dark matter halos. These dark matter halos are a major
contributor to the process of "galactic cannibalism," during which large
galaxies can grow by accreting and disrupting smaller galaxies. In this talk
I will discuss my own research on the cannibalistic history of the our own
galaxy — the Milky Way — and review how debris from dead and
dying dwarf galaxies can be used to trace its dark matter halo.

Dr. Luz J. Martínez-Miranda
(University of Maryland):
"Liquid Crystal Nanocomposites for Photovoltaics:
Interaction of the Local Structure Due to the Presence of Nanoparticles and
the Bulk Structure"

We investigate how liquid crystals order in the presence of diverse
nanoparticles. We have found that the liquid crystal in the immediate
vicinity of the nanoparticles is fairly disordered, and the disorder depends
on the functionalization of the nanoparticle, or lack of it. This disordering
is observed as short range order X-ray peaks, where the coherence length of
the peaks is close to the molecular spacing of the liquid crystal and persists
into the nematic phase as a function of temperature. This disordered structure
is still in the smectic phase, and seems to reflect the faceting of the
nanoparticle, or the self-assembly of the nanoparticle into a faceted
structure. Understanding the structure the liquid crystal assumes in the
vicinity of the nanoparticles, and how it compares to the bulk structure of
the liquid crystals gives us an idea of how electrons, or light are
transmitted from the liquid crystal to the nanoparticle and vice versa, and
how strong this transmission is. This transmission can be understood by a
simple electronic model consisting of two diodes and resistors.

Dr. Rhiannon Meharchand (Institute for
Defense Analyses):
"A Hundred Tacks: How Following a Traditional Track Can Lead
to an Alternative Career"

From a distance, it seems like the path to a successful career in Physics is
straightforward. Zoom in, however, and one sees the straight-line path from
undergraduate Physics major to a scientific career is actually composed of a
hundred tiny tacks — course corrections, or adjustments made along the
way. In this talk, Rhiannon will discuss her path from grad student to
post-doc to IDA analyst, discussing past and present research areas and
highlighting choices made along the way that helped steer her to her current
position.

Yssavo Camacho (Lehigh University):
"A Comparison of Radio-loud and Radio-Quiet E+A Galaxies"
E+A galaxies are systems undergoing an important evolutionary transition.
Their optical spectra show significant numbers of A-type stars in an
elliptical galaxy that has little to no star formation (SF). These galaxies
have likely experienced a recent starburst (< 1 Gyr) followed by an even more
recent quench in their SF. What caused their recent SF quench remains one of
the most prominent questions surrounding E+A galaxies. Within the Goto (2007,
MNRAS 381,187) catalogue of 564 E+A galaxies, there is a small fraction (~3%)
that have detectable radio continuum emission from FIRST or NVSS. One possible
cause for the observed radio continuum is active galactic nuclei (AGN). AGN
feedback is believed to be important in galaxy evolution, including SF
quenching (Dubois et al. 2013, MNRAS 433, 3297). In an effort to understand
better the differences between radio-loud and radio-quiet E+As, we obtained
and compared their spectral energy distributions (SEDs) using the publicly
available data from 2MASS, and WISE. We also compared them to the SEDs of
other known galaxy types. We find that the radio-loud and radio-quiet samples
exhibit statistically insignificant differences in the optical, near-infrared,
and mid-infrared bands. We also compare the two samples on a J-H vs.
H-K color-color diagram. This work was supported by the National
Science Foundation via grant AST-1004583 to the CUNY College of Staten Island,
and grant AST-1004591 to the American Museum of Natural History.

Desnor Chigumba & Sarah Roberts (Juniata College):
"3D Shape and Spin Modeling of Asteroids Through Lightcurve
Inversion"
Unlike planets, asteroids have not undergone differentiation, so they have
recorded details of the solar system's evolution. Their rotational
lightcurves, which show the amount of sunlight they reflect toward Earth
while rotating, are acquired using photometry. CCD images of multiple
asteroids were taken during the summer of 2014 using Juniata College's
sixteen-inch Meade LX200-GPS Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with an attached
SBIG ST-8XME CCD camera and a SBIG ST-i guide camera and at Lowell Observatory
using their thirty-one-inch reflecting telescope with a 2Kx2K Loral CCD
camera. The images were calibrated using Maxim DL before lightcurves were
generated for 199 Byblis, 660 Crescentia, 65 Cybele, 1842 Hynek, 855
Newcombia, 547 Praxedis, and 490 Veritas. These lightcurves were combined
with others from online databases to generate shape and spin axis models
using LCInvert. Final models were determined for 199 Byblis, 537 Praxedis,
855 Newcombia, and 490 Veritas. These models can be used for calculations of
the Yarkovsky and Yarkovsky—O'Keefe—Radzievskii—Paddack
(YORP) effects. Understanding how asteroid orbits change over time is
important for classifying their families and predicting their orbits.

Delilah Gates (University of Maryland):
"Computational Off-shell Completion of the 4D, N=1 Chiral
Multiplet on 0-brane"
In supersymmetry, going from on-shell to off-shell systems has
sometimes been a problem as certain systems seem to require infinite
numbers of components for off-shell realization. We have found that
off-shell completion can be explored using dimensional reduction,
representation theory, and computational algorithms. Reducing
supermultiplets along one time like dimension, we can then represent
the reduced system graphically as an "Adinkra" from which we extract a set of
matrices that encode the actions of supercharges. Using computer algorithms,
we then impose necessary conditions for 1D off-shell systems on the set of
matrices to derive 1D off-shell multiplets. Via this method, we have taken
systems like the 4D, N=1 Chiral Multiplet on the 0-brane from on-shell to
off-shell.

Jessie Hirtenstein (American University):
"Shaping Light to Control Ultracold Atoms and the Quantum
World"
Ultracold atoms, when trapped by laser light, interact with each other
differently according to the geometry of the potential well in which they are
held. We are studying the energy spectrum of a pair of such atoms trapped in
an even monomial potential including contact interactions. By analyzing
quantum symmetries of the system, we have created qualitative plots of energy
versus interaction strength and energy versus trap shape for the limiting
cases of our model, the harmonic oscillator and square well. From these we
can extrapolate what happens for a general potential well and have found
interesting phenomena such as accidental degeneracies and proposed energy
dependence. Additionally, we have developed a numerical technique of
diagonalizing the Hamiltonian to exactly calculate the spectrum as a function
of well shape and coupling strength.

Maya Amouzegar (University of Maryland):
"Detector Development for LHC Upgrades"
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN stared collecting data at an energy of
8.3 TeV in 2009. It was shut down in 2012 for upgrades and will start running
again at an energy of about 13 TeV around April 2015. It is planned to operate
until 2018. After that, it will receive more upgrades. Many scientists in the
field of high energy physics work on planning the upgrades and long term plans
of the LHC. The High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) is planned to
start operating around 2021. At the University of Maryland, we run tests on
liquid scintillators and study them with the hopes of finding the ideal
scintillator candidate that will be used in the endcap of Hadron Calorimeter
at the HL-LHC. So far, we have found that high amounts of radiation do not
reduce the light yield of EJ-309, which is the liquid scintillator that we
use. We also found that using a thicker fiber, such as one that is 1.0 mm
thick, will result in a higher light yield than using a 0.9 mm or a 0.5 mm
fiber. Finally, sputtering the end of the fiber will result in a higher light
output, because it allows fewer photons to escape from the other end of the
fiber.

Alexandra DeMaio (Rutgers University):
"An Introduction to Beam Optics at the LHC"
Charged particle beam optics is the use of electric and magnetic "lenses" to
manipulate the paths of charged particles, particularly in accelerators like
the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Among other mechanisms, systems of
alternating focusing and defocusing quadrupole lenses called FoDo lattices are
used in the LHC to stabilize particle paths. This talk will address the
underlying principles of phase stability and strong focusing at the LHC in
the context of the LHC Web Optics Database, whose compilation is currently
in progress to assist with the recordkeeping necessary for progressive LHC
maintenance and upgrades.

Sylvia Morrow & Mark Yuly (Houghton College):
"A Study of Weak Magnetic Focusing"
The small cyclotron at Houghton College loses at least 80% of its
beam due to collisions with the dee and chamber walls. Improving weak
magnetic focusing will alter the magnetic field to produce a greater
radial magnetic field component, creating a restoring force to return
ions to the central orbit plane. Moreover, the field index value
n = 0.2 must not occur inside the maximum ion orbit radius to avoid
defocusing caused by coupled resonances. A computer model of the
magnet and chamber was developed to test modifications of the magnet
pole tips to achieve these results. A two dimensional cross section
of the magnet was modeled using Poisson Superfish, the results of
which were used to track ions with the Simion 8.0 code. This
model indicates the best chamber design is to replace the current
aluminum chamber lids with ferric stainless steel lids with radius
2.2 cm larger than the dee, unlike the current pole faces which have
faces of 0.3 cm smaller radius. The steel lids direct the magnetic
field lines radially outward, resulting in a more constant field all
the way to the outside edge of the dee. Results of the computer model
will be compared with analytical results using a simplified
model.

Katrina Schrock (Messiah College):
"Development of a Prototype Neutron Veto for SuperCDMS"
We assisted in assembling and testing a neutron veto prototype for the
SNOLAB phase of the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS). As a part of this,
we had to analyze various aspects of the construction, including different
glues and scintillator compositions using a spectrophotometer and a
fluorimeter. Additionally, we were able to characterize our silicon
photomultipliers (SIPMs) at temperatures nearing -25 C, allowing us to view
the effect of temperature on dark noise. We also were able to begin testing
the efficiency of neutron capture in our scintillator using radioactive
sources.

Courtney Au-yeung (Duquesne University):
"Optical Transitions of Eu Ions in GaN: The Puzzle of the 634
nm Peak"
GaN doped with Eu is an important material for future use as the
active layer of red LEDs. After excitation, the major emission in the
spectra takes the form of 3 peaks centered at 621 nm. These peaks are
assigned to the 5D0 to 7F2 transitions of the majority defect center, Eu1.
However, the spectra also shows a much smaller peak at 634 nm. This peak is
roughly 20 times smaller than the ones at 621 nm, but becomes comparable in
strength in the emission of the most efficient LEDs. While this observation
underscores the relevance of this emission peak for application, its origin
remains unclear. To address this question, we studied temperature
dependence, phonon coupling, and sample dependence to determine if one of
these factors affected the 634 nm peak. This was tested using data we
collected, as well as analyzing old data. Funding was provided by Lehigh
University's REU program and the National Science Foundation's Research
Experience for Undergraduates under grants PHY-0849416 and PHY-1359195.

Amanda Landcastle (State University of New York — Brockport):
"Point Contact Spectroscopy"
A quantum theory of point contact spectroscopy (PCS) was recently developed
as a potential filter for non-Fermi liquid behavior in correlated materials.
Classically, PCS is an experimental technique that has been used for several
decades to determine scattering information on normal metals as well as gap
information on superconducting materials. The quantum theory of PCS for
correlated materials suggests that a zero bias peak in the dI/dV spectrum
can be associated with an excess density of states for non-Fermi liquids. The
initial experimental approach to using PCS on YFe2Al10
in order to try to detect quantum critical fluctuations in this material is
presented.

Emily Morrow (Houghton College):
"Using Machine Learning Techniques to Identify Soft Spots in
Amorphous Materials"
Machine learning, currently at the forefront of computer science, has a
variety of applications. One such application in theoretical physics is
the detection of soft spots in amorphous materials by using a similar
technique as that of Facebook's face recognition software. Once the
softness field has been calculated, the technique can be evaluated to
determine the usefulness in learning more about the physics of the system.

Teresa Turmanian (Juniata College):
"Magnetic Ground State of Industrial Sensors"
Giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensors are used to detect magnetic fields
external to themselves in order to control the positions of robotic industrial
equipment. A multilayer structure of thin films known as a wafer is used to
sense the magnetic field. It consists of four repeats of a unit cell, which
are surrounded by Si, Si3N4, Ta, and NiFeCo layers below and a Ta cap above.
The unit cell consists of four nm-scale layers, namely Cu, NiFeCo, Cu, and
CoFe. The ferromagnetic layers of the unit cell have magnetizations that,
in the absence of a magnetic field, align antiparallel to each other. In the
presence of a magnetic field, the layer magnetizations align with the field.
The transition from anti-parallel to parallel alignment decreases the wafer's
electrical resistance, allowing for the detection of the magnetic field.
Consequently, it is important to understand the magnetic ground state of the
sensor which is when no magnetic field is present. To study the sensor in
its ground state a technique called Polarized Neutron Reflectometry (PNR) is
used. We have used PNR to determine the structural and magnetic depth
profiles of a wafer in external magnetic fields of strengths 20mT and 0.5mT.
The high field data is fit well by a model in which Cu is magnetized. This
result was not expected since Cu is not ferromagnetic, implying that there
is mixing of magnetic NiFeCo and CoFe layers and the non-magnetic Cu layers
that separate them. Low field data is fit well with a model in which
scattering length density and thickness vary among repeats of a particular
material. This allows us to conclude that the ferromagnetic layers are not
achieving the desired anti-ferromagnetic coupling at low external field.

Elizabeth Dresselhaus (University of Pennsylvania):
"Technological and Economic Feasibility of Supercritical Fluid
Geothermal Power"
The energy crisis is a prominent issue of the modern world. As we look into
the future, one of our priorities needs to be finding new sources of energy
that have minimal adverse environmental effects, particularly renewable
sources for their economic dependability. Iceland has created a unique energy
sector with over 80% of its primary energy coming from renewable resources,
much of which is geothermal. In addition to utilizing high and low temperature
geothermal areas to generate electricity and heating, the country is
exploring deep drilling for supercritical steam, which could increase the
geothermal power generation by an order of magnitude. Supercritical fluid
results when a liquid is under temperature and pressure conditions that
exceed the fluid's thermodynamic critical point, and when underground,
these fluids can be tapped to release superheated steam and generate
geothermal power. The Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) began in 2003,
with the goal to access this underground fluid and determine the feasibility
of harnessing energy from it. This research study uses the results of the
IDDP and other sources to analyze the physical and economic feasibility of
implementing this technology outside of Iceland.

Davneet Kaur (Queens College, CUNY):
"Piston-Assisted Proton Pumping in Complex I of Mitochondrial
Membrane"
Mitochondria are the powerhouses of animal cells and also many bacteria.
Complex I is the first enzyme in the mitochondrial respiratory chain, the
process leading to storage of energy in the form of Adenosine Triphosphate
(ATP). The structure of the enzyme was recently resolved and its functionality
was correlated to the motion of a helical protein structure. However, the
actual mechanism of the electron assisted proton-pumping of Complex I has
remained mysterious because the electron (e-) and proton (H+) pathways are
well separated by a distance of up to 15 nm, making the direct interaction of
these charges negligible. We model the helix assisted indirect coupling
between the electron and proton pathways as a non-uniformly charged piston
oscillating between the coupled sites of a 3 site series system. The energy
conversion is determined by single e- and H+ transport events. The piston
oscillates between that central proton and electron sites and modulates
their energy, while the coupling with other sites is weak and negligible. We
show that, with realistic values of parameters, this structure allows for
proton pumping against the potential gradient and we determine the different
dependencies.

Mary Elizabeth Petrie (Juniata College):
"Effects of Anesthetics on Ion-Induced Dipole and Induced Dipole
— Induced Dipole Interactions"
Local and general anesthetics are frequently used in medicine, as the first
is able to produce a reversible loss of sensation in one region and the
second causes temporary unconsciousness. Yet, how they are able to
do this is not well understood. Studies have found that anesthetics interact
with amino acids that have aromatic rings (phenylalanine, tyrosine, and
tryptophan) in tubulin, the protein that makes up microtubules. This study
looks at how the ion-induced dipole interaction between a benzene ring and a
sodium ion and the induced dipole-induced dipole interaction between two
benzene rings change in the presence of an anesthetic molecule.
Calculations were preformed using 6-311++Gss and three DFT methods: B3LYP,
B3LYP-D3, and wB97X. Two local anesthetics (lidocaine and procaine) and
three general anesthetics (propofol, cyclopropane, and procaine) were
studied where each anesthetic was examined at two different positions
relative to the benzene molecule for both types of interactions. This
research can give insight into how anesthetics interact with the amino acids
with aromatic rings.

Bilyana Tzolova (Johns Hopkins University):
"Microscopic Investigation of Protein Layer Mechanics"
We studied the formation of layers of the protein SNase adsorbing at
the air-water interface. In a series of experiments, we have followed
the evolution of the rheological response of the layer using an
active microrheology technique. The technique involves tracking the
rotational motion of magnetic nanowires at the interface in response
to time-dependent external magnetic fields. The results, which are
interpreted using a model for viscous drag on the wires, show that
the interfacial viscosity increases rapidly with layer age.

The 2015 CUWiP meetings are supported in part by the National Science
Foundation (PHY-1346627) and by the Department of Energy Office of Science
(DE-SC0011076). Further details are available on the
APS conference website.